The New Kids on the Block were on every kind of merchandise you could possibly imagine: Posters, bedspreads, T-shirts, PJs, lunchboxes, watches, backpacks, books, magazines and, of course, dolls.
In my youth, I had the Jordan Knight-approved Ken doll, complete with rat tail and microphone for when you wanted to have him sing to you while listening to a cassette of some of the most choice NKOTB songs. (In case you're wondering, "Tonight," "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" and "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" are all primo tunes.)
Anyway, as it turns out there were also rag dolls of the guys. I wasn't too familiar with them, so I played along. But it seems that Jordan doesn't really care for those dolls. In fact, he thinks they are kind of strange.
"The weirdest thing? Well there's these dolls that don’t even look like us. They were supposedly us. Mine had a rat tail. They were rag dolls," he said before clarifying that he's not talking about my Ken doll. That Ken doll was cool!
"No, the Ken doll was cool," he explained, much to my relief. "We had the Raggedy Ann kind of dolls out too and they looked nothing like us. [Yeah the other doll] kind of [looked like me]. It's a Ken doll."
Fair enough. Either way, Jordan, you're still a doll!
Jordan Knight is currently touring the country in order to record an album. And while he's doing that, he's holding "Jordan Idol" events in various cities trying to find the best up-and-coming talent this great land has to offer, with the winner getting a personal boost into the industry from Knight himself. So, when I heard he was in New York City working on some new music and that I could have a chance to talk to him about his new music and "Jordan Idol," I literally jumped at the chance.
Back in the day, I kind of had the biggest crush on him ever. So imagine my surprise when he came in and I actually got the chance to meet the cutest of the New Kids on the Block. So, while he started talking about this weekend's "Jordan Idol" (which is being held this Saturday night at Le Poisson Rouge club in NYC), he decided to stump for me to get my big shot at fame.
But instead of giving my less-than-impressive singing voice a chance at superstardom (no, I didn't embarrass myself and sing for him), he decided I might be better suited to do something I actually have some skill doing: Interviewing celebrities. Except with me on camera with them. I'm not saying he's onto something here, but hey, stranger things have happened. And he's not the first singing star to suggest that I should have my own show — Brandy has already given me her support!
So watch Jordan make his case for me and let me know what you think!
Weezer just announced that they will be releasing their new album on October 27. The still-untitled record will be preceded by the release of a single called "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To," which is supposed to hit radio on August 25. I haven't heard the song yet, but I can already tell it's going to be great. Why? Because it has parentheses. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that the easiest way to elevate your songs from good to great is to toss a parenthetical phrase into the title. In the world of music, parentheses will always equal immortality.
Take Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)." What you have there is an epic seven-minute song with a lyric sheet that makes no sense at all. But it ended up being a massive single for Mr. Loaf, and do you know why? Parentheses!
It doesn't end there. R.E.M.'s single about Armageddon would be something of a downer if it was simply called "It's the End of the World as We Know It," but luckily it's called "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." The simple addition of the parenthetical phrase flips it from a downer to a slightly more optimistic tune.
The parenthetical statements don't always complete the thought. Take the Backstreet Boys' "Everybody." It's not terribly descriptive, is it? Are they pro or con everybody? Why isn't there a verb in there? But upon closer inspection, it turns out the real title is "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)." Now it's clear — BSB want everybody to know they have returned! A similar "A-ha!" moment occurs with "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," because without the add-on, how would we know what games to quit playing?
Want more parenthetical videos? Check out the playlist below, which features clips from BSB, Jay-Z, New Kids on the Block, Green Day and a particularly phenomenal parentheses-assisted clip from 30 Seconds to Mars.
Over the weekend, everyone's favorite Twitter aficionado John Mayer made an observation that lead to an interesting exchange via the social networking site. Yesterday, the guitar giant tweeted, "Listening to the hits channel on Sirius. I will reserve criticism but say that every ninth year of a decade really brings the junk." He went on to point out that the charts in 1979, '89 and '99 are all relatively low-quality, and in the meantime, the "2" years ('82, '92 and 2002) all seem to produce greatness. Mayer uses the example of Warrant to throw 1989 under the bus, which is a brilliant strategy considering that their album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich was not only gigantic but also represented the predominant trend of the era (that being hair metal). But is it a fair assessment of the decade? And how do those other years measure up?
Mayer is a little unfair to 1979, as the top singles from that year were a mix of disco tracks, one-hit wonders and the first big influences of punk and New Wave. Blondie's "Heart of Glass" bridged the gap between dance music and their brand of icy rock, while the Knack's "My Sharona" was a brief hit that ended up being far more influential than anybody could have imagined. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, so it's possible that in the present tense those songs were utterly unacceptable. But it ended up being okay. There were plenty of duds (Chic's "Good Times," Bee Gees' "Love You Inside Out"), but it was also the year that saw Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" can't be all bad.
1989 was more questionable. Read more...
They had New Kids on the Block earlier this summer and Toby Keith and the Dave Matthews Band in a couple of months, but on Monday night (July 27), Lil Wayne will be the star attraction at the Toyota Pavilion in Scranton, PA (as the sign on the photo reads).
But on Sunday night, as the MTV News crew came to the venue, we received one surprising rule: "Look out for the snakes, dog!" advised the head of security on the "Young Money Presents: The America's Most Wanted Music Festival." Apparently some reptiles had slithered in the outdoor backstage area at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain.
Scranton is home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (MLB's Bronx Bombers Triple A team) and not exactly the hip-hop capital of the globe, but one of the biggest MCs on the planet has been in town all week. Yes, Lil Wayne, Weezy F. Baby himself has been in Scranton all week rehearsing for his new tour with Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy, Jeremih and Drake.
The Toyota Pavilion is said to hold around 16,000 people — 6,000 seats under a canopy-like top (which also covers the stage) and 10,000 on the lawn that runs up a hill.
When MTV showed up earlier this afternoon, Weezy wasn't due to arrive until about 8:30 p.m., while Drake was said to be coming 30 minutes after that. The always sexy Nicki Minaj was already backstage getting ready to rehearse and Jeezy and Soulja Boy weren't due to rehearse their sets until Monday morning.
By Nicole Guanlao
We walked into a hole-in-the-wall warehouse on Thursday to sneak a peek at New Kids on the Block and the Jabbawockeez rehearsing for their surprise joint performance on the "Today Show" — and let me tell you, it was quite the experience.
We were in a small studio space watching them perform and goof around, and there's no doubt that these guys are talented. After several years, the members of New Kids on the Block still look as dreamy as ever and can still bust a move or two. If they came out as a new group in 2009 — having never been NKOTB — I firmly believe they would still hit it big and make the girls swoon. As for the Jabbawockeez, I was in awe over their dancing skills. In fact, I was so jealous of their moves that I asked them to teach me a thing or two. Needless say, I don't think I'm going to be a Jabbawockee any time soon.
We have video of my little dance lesson, but for my own morale, I'd rather lock it away in a vault. Read more...
By Rya Backer
This past weekend, MTV premiered "Camp'd Out: I'm Going to Performing Arts Camp," which featured three young hopefuls vying for stardom ... in an Upstate New York summer-camp performance of "Carousel." And it looks like Debbie — sorry, Deborah — Gibson has followed suit with her own haven on the other side of the country, called Deborah Gibson's Electric Youth. According to its Web site, the camp is "committed to offering the highest level of performing arts camp for serious young performers available in the industry."
Last night, Gibson and Ryan Black's 88's Cabaret hosted an Evening of Electric Youth with Deborah Gibson. It was described as "a benefit event for the Gibson Girl Foundation," which offers scholarships to her various performance clinics. Many a performer showed up, including other teen idols of past and present: Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block (who also sang alongside Gibson), Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys and Nolan Gerard Funk of "Spectacular."
But the star of the show appeared to be Gibson's stylist. According to photos of the event, Deborah Gibson's evening saw four costume changes.
We here at MTV News are a pretty diverse bunch, so the views expressed by some in our more official-type year-end lists (like James Montgomery's Top 25 Albums and Best Songs, and the Mixtape Monday Awards) are not necessarily shared by the rest of the newsroom. So, this week we gave everyone else a chance to chime in with their own lists and explain (or defend) their choices. You'll find the staff faves of 2008 all together here.
By Jocelyn Vena, Writer
Let's face it, 2008 was the year of the pop artist. And, since I am the resident pop expert around these parts, I decided to make my top 10 list all about the greatest pop albums to hit the charts in the last 12 months.
10. Pink, Funhouse: Her tough-girl attitude paid off with this album. She performed her single, "So What," at the VMAs and soon after, it was everywhere. Read more...
By Rya Backer
Working at MTV News for the past 10-odd months has provided me with worlds of stories I fully intend to tell my grandchildren.
There was that time I canoodled with the New Kids on the Block — OK, it was just Danny, and it involves a very awkward photo of me firmly grasping his index finger, but still. There was that other time I stayed up all day and night with one of my favorite new bands, Passion Pit. There was also that time I watched the "Project Runway" season-five finale in a leath-uh corset with Stella Zotis.
Fun people pass through these halls every day, like T-Pain (and his top hat), Hulk Hogan and My Morning Jacket. Some even walk through our morning news meetings. Next time, knock — OK, Taylor Swift?
(See Gideon talk about his first time, after the jump!) Read more...
It's been 17 years since Guns N' Roses released a studio album full of fresh material — the one-two punch that was 1991's Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II — and in that long stretch, fans have learned one thing: Axl Rose refuses to rush the creative process. OK, they've also learned that a lot of lies can be told over 17 years and that a band can still tour successfully, even if that band looks nothing like anyone remembers.
Now that Hits Daily Double is reporting a firm November 23 release date for Chinese Democracy, the wait for some fresh GN'R — at least in the way Rose meant for it to be heard — looks like it may soon be over. It also got us to thinking about what's transpired since Guns N' Roses' last studio LPs dropped. And the short answer is "a lot." Read more...
